The garden is not bare in the winter, far from it. There is plenty of interest to delight the gardener and feed the birds. After our week of frigid temperatures some of my favorite winter perennials have proven their reputation as winter hardy and winter showy. Design a perennial bed with them in it and you’ll always have something to enjoy.
My favorite must be the hellebore, handsome in the spring, summer, fall and winter, with deeply cut glossy foliage almost all the time. The real treat is in February when clusters of blooms emerge from the ground, along with new foliage. In fact, now is the time to clean some of the old foliage, just before the new emerges. And, while the below freezing weather made them wilt beneath a protecting layer of snow; now that the weather has warmed, they have perked back up and have maintained their handsome deep green foliage.
Hellebores are notorious for mixed genetics, so the hybrid hellebores are somewhat of a mixed bag of colors ranging in hues of speckled pink, blush, and maroon. They are vigorous plants to be sure; the colors are just a bit unpredictable. Named cultivars can be found but they are typically a bit pricier than the hybrid mixes. Start out with the ‘Royal Heritage’ strain first and then start collecting the named varieties if you become hooked on this great plant.
Hellebores will thrive under the right culture: rich, well-drained soil, adequate moisture, and a little shade in the afternoon. The summer sun is harder on the plant then Jack Frost. With that said, however, they are not fragile plants. Once Hellebores are established, they are quite tolerant of not so perfect garden environments. They become deep rooted, as well, so once established they will last decades in the garden without much fuss.
Rhodea thrives in woodland conditions, both moist and dry. Known as the sacred lily, Rhodea is native to Japan where a division can go for as much as $10,000! The garden variety, however, can be found at specialty garden centers for the average cost of a perennial. The foliage is strap-like and robust, dark green with an overall vase-shape. In the summer a bloom emerges for added interest, but it is the foliage that makes this plant worthwhile in the garden. It will even live happily under the dry and toxic shade of a black walnut, or so I have heard.
Rhodea may be under-used in the garden because it is often listed as a tender perennial in zone 6; it has been my experience, as well as others in our zone, that the plant has no problem persisting through winter and this season is proof positive that the foliage rebounds and the plant is root hardy.
Arum is another reliable winter foliage plant. When everything else in the mixed border is either gone or leafless, the Arum fills the space like the best ground cover around. Arrowhead-shaped leaves with veining that provides subtle color variations can fill in any space: wet, dry, part shade or full-sun. Like the Rhodea, the Arums are not too terribly picky, and they can handle the least desirable location in the garden. Mix it with summer foliage plants because after the plant blooms in May or June the foliage disappears for its summer dormant season. The bloom spike that remains, however, provides more interest as the seeds ripen to a red-orange color.
